The original PSP-1000 was released five years ago in Japan. The
competing Nintendo DS used flash memory cards for games, but Sony
decide to introduce the Universal Media Disc (UMD) capable of holding
1.8GB of data, which was massive for its time.

The PSP
Go introduced in October was supposed to introduce new options to
the PSP line. Sold concurrently with the latest PSP-3000, it replaces
the UMD with 16GB of flash memory. This allows gamers to have
around a dozen games with them without having to carry around discs
and swap them out when they want to play a different game.

Music
and videos can also be stored, allowing the PSP Go to compete
somewhat against Apple's iPod Nano. Additional storage is provided
via Memory Stick Micro (M2) flash cards. 16GB is the largest size
available at the moment, but there are smaller sizes available. The
M2 format tops out at 32GB, and there are rumors that Sandisk is
working on such a card based on 32nm technology.

The PSP Go is 35% smaller and 16% lighter than the PSP-3000. The
screen is smaller, but retains the same pixel count as the
PSP-3000. This allows the PSP Go to have a higher pixel density and a
sharper image. Unfortunately, the battery is also smaller, and only
allows for 3-5 hours of gaming.

This still makes it a
viable option gaming option for commuters who carpool or take public
transit and are looking for some entertainment. This is a very
large market in Japan, and a large percentage of people on Japanese
subways can be seen with a DS Lite. Sony is clearly targeting urban
professionals more than teenage gamers.

A recent trip to Asia
meant that I was faced with a 15 hour flight with limited
entertainment options. I picked up a PSP Go along with a
few games like Gran Turismo, GTA: Liberty City Stories, God of
War: Chains of Olympus, and Rock Band. Downloading games
via WiFi is pretty slow, and the best option is a broadband
connection and transfer via USB cable. Charging through a USB port is
possible, but a charge from an AC adapter is required
if the battery is depleted.

The PSP Go fits
perfectly in a suit jacket pocket, and I now find myself playing with
the PSP Go whenever I'm early for a meeting or waiting in line. I
used to carry around a Nintendo DS, but having all of my games loaded
on the PSP Go is much more convenient.

Holding the PSP Go is a
little bit awkward at first because of the sliding screen and takes a
little bit of getting used to. Gamers with large hands may want to
try one out for themselves before making a purchasing decision.

The
biggest criticism so far for the PSP Go has been on price. NAND flash
prices have doubled in the last six months due to demand from SSDs
and portable media players. Price for flash memory had been
forecasted to go down, not up.

A Sony representative pointed
out that the PSP Go is only around $50 more than a 16GB iPod Nano,
and is much more fun. However, Sony can afford to subsidize
the PSP Go, since the move to digital downloads will allow
the company to reduce the cost of manufacturing, packaging, and
distributing games.

The PSP Go will be most attractive to highly mobile professionals
who are buying their first PSP or seeking the greatest portability.
There are still many people who don't have a PSP, or are looking for
a better gaming experience than Apple's iPhone or the Nintendo DS
Lite. Those who have an investment in UMDs or are price-sensitive
will want to stick with the PSP-3000.

Comments

Threshold

Username

Password

remember me

This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled

But for the rest of the world, PSP Go offers less features than PSP-3000 for more money and forces you to buy your entire game collection again, since you can't use UMDs and Sony won't exchange them for the online equivalent.

But aside from these two "minor" downsides, yes, PSP Go makes a lot of sense.

Yes, make any games already purchased freely available for downloand and it would make sense. Rolling out an incremental improvement (not a next generation one) and breaking backwards compatability is just stupid. Even if you had to physically mail in the UMD disks you might be able to convince me, but until then it's a no go.

1) The convenience of not have to carry flash memory or UMDs is a big feature

2) The PSP Go is targeting people who might not buy the PSP-3000. By expanding the market you bring more people in. If you don't have a PSP already then you don't don't have an investment in UMDs. The PSP-3000 will still be produced.

1) Accessing PSN with a PSP Go is nothing like accessing PSN with a PSP-3000 with a MS installed. Groundbreaking new feature.2) I wasn't aware there's a market consisting of people looking to spend more for less. Kudos to Sony for catering to the new audience.

Not sure what Sony was after with the GO, but I have a launch 1001 model, in mint condition, & honestly, I saw no need to upgrade to the 2000 or 3000, & the GO has no appeal to me, infact, the GO is the worst of the models.

My only minor issue with the 1001 is the ghosting, I certainly don't want a smaller PSP screen as it's already too small, I surely don't want DD only when I have 50GBs worth of M2 & memsticks, & over 30 umd games.

All Sony needed to do for me was add a 2nd nub, improve the speakers, & improve the battery life & I was good. The GO does none of that, my 1001 model already does everything the GO does & more. Seems like it will be an epic fail for Sony. If anything the GO should be cheaper than the 3000 not more.